7:05 AM

Every kid has that fantasy of doing something so incredible that they will catch the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records. Some of those kids grow up to be SCUBA divers, and never lose sight of that dream. A bunch of these grownups in the UK formed a group and have decided to take on this challenge with an attempt to break the world record for the most people SCUBA diving at once.

The standing world record for the most people diving simultaneously was set in 2009 in Indonesia, with a turnout of 2,486 divers. A company called ScubaClick intends to break that record in Swanage, Dorset, located in the United Kingdom. It is part of the launch of their online liveaboard booking and management system, which offers a more interactive platform for those who operate liveaboards and those who want to charter them. Each diver will pay a small fee to participate, which goes to several charities in the Swanage community, like Scuba Trust, an organization that assists disabled divers. Each participant will be entered in a drawing for prizes including a dive computer, diving suits, regulators, and more.

They are looking for participants at every level, including divers, dive boat operators, and kayak operators to assist divers with whatever may be necessary. Training will be provided on site for each type of participant. Divers will be required to be open water certified, have current diving insurance, and supply their own gear. Although the idea is to break a world record as well as create excitement about a new business, safety is the number one priority of this event.

They are seeking a few more sponsors, so if you or your business have resources to offer, this is a terrific way to contribute. Want to promote your SCUBA business? There will be an area cordoned for exhibition as well, so start crafting your pitch! Search the internet for ScubaClick for all the details.

The event will feature live music, a bar, and of course, cheering on all those divers who are making history. This is sure to be a memorable experience for the whole family, so mark your calendar for September 24, 2011 and be a part of a new world record!

7:05 AM

8:37 AM

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs[3] and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. This reef supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labeled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland.

A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish.

The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and is an important part of local groups' cultures and spirituality. The reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially in the Whitsunday Islands and Cairns regions. Tourism is an important economic activity for the region, generating $1 billion per year.

More information can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef

8:36 AM

Cozumel (Mayan: Island of the Swallows) (Kùutsmil in Modern Maya) is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the nine municipalities (municipios) of the state of Quintana Roo. Cozumel is a tourist destination for its balnearios, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel.

Scuba diving is still one of Cozumel's primary attractions, mainly due to the healthy coral reef marine communities. These coral reefs are protected from the open ocean by the island's natural geography. In 1996, the government of Mexico also established the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, forbidding anyone from touching or removing any marine life within the park boundaries. Despite the importance of healthy reefs to Cozumel's tourist trade, a deepwater pier was built in the 1990s for cruise ships to dock, causing damage to the reefs, and it is now a regular stop on cruises in the Caribbean

More information can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozumel

3:35 AM

For experienced scuba divers, who want to experience something completely different, cave diving is fascinating and exhilarating. Scuba diving in a cave is unlike anything you've ever experienced, it is similar to spelunking (normal cave exploration), but with the added thrill of being underwater. Open water scuba divers are accustomed to not being completely surrounded and with the freedom to move and swim wherever they choose. Cave diving is different; you will often be following a predefined course through narrow crevasses into great "rooms". Penetrative wreck diving also involves scuba in an enclosed space, but an experienced diver would agree that the two are difficult to compare.

Aside from the regular scuba equipment, for cave diving you will need an underwater torch or underwater light. Once you are past the entrance you will not be able to see without it. The darkness is absolute. The only light you will get is the light you bring with you. As part of your training, you should know how to secure the strap to your wrist or BCD to ensure that it will not be lost if it is dropped. As exhilarating as it is to be diving in a cave there are few things more frightening than being disoriented deep within a cave, with no light. Scuba divers always dive with a buddy, but in cave diving a buddy with a light can save your life if your light burns out, gets broken or is inadvertently dropped and lost.

For the recreational scuba diver, many popular diving caves will have been explored thoroughly and will be marked with direction signs and strung with guidelines. A cave system is almost never a simple series of rooms connected along an easy path; cave systems are complex mazes of many passages. Imagine entering an underwater room and looking back to see that there is not one, but dozens of passages that all look similar, not knowing which way leads back to the entrance. Being neutrally buoyant, in a space which looks similar in every direction, can be very disorienting and most cave diving fatalities are the result of poor navigation. Established cave diving sites have guide lines strung through them so that you can follow it back to the entrance.

Why would a scuba diver want to explore underwater caves? Quite simply, the interiors of caves are beautiful. As you enter an underwater cave the first sensations are excitement and awe. Many underwater caves look quite boring from the outside, but once you get inside the beauty and serenity will astound you. The water in caves is not stirred by waves or tides, so it is so incredibly clear. In fact, you may forget you are underwater and instead feel like you are floating in air.

Cave diving is obviously not for people who may have claustrophobic tendencies. Before attempting cave diving the diver must know themselves and know their boundaries and be certain they are comfortable in enclosed spaces. For open water divers additional training is required.